Book excerpt: This authoritative account of the first Native American woman to be declared a saint by the Church is sure to inspire you. Discover an extraordinary young woman who was called by Pope Blessed John Paul II, God's "bountiful gift" to His Church and a "sweet, frail yet strong figure of a young woman who died when she was only twenty-four years old: Kateri Tekakwitha, the 'Lily of the Mohawks.'" The daughter of a Mohawk chief and a Roman Catholic mother, Kateri (baptized Catherine) Tekakwitha (1656-1680) forms a unique bridge between the Native American community and the Church. Kateri was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Kateri Tekakwitha's faith and love for Christ in the face of overwhelming hostility and her own debilitating illnesses will encourage you as you seek God's grace to overcome challenges in your own life! She is a powerful role model for converts to the Church, young people striving for chastity, and anyone looking to deepen their own prayer life. She is also a shining example that God's call to holiness is truly universal and is heard by men and women in all walks of life and all ages. Written by experienced and prolific authors Matthew and Margaret Bunson, St. Kateri: Lily of the Mohawks is the most definitive biography of Kateri Tekakwitha. Experience the extraordinary stories of the French Jesuit missionaries, the famed Blackrobes," in the wilderness of North America and the heroic conversions of the Native Americans to the Catholic faith. Follow Kateri's life from when she contracted smallpox as a toddler – a disease that swept through her village – claiming her family and leaving her severely disfigured and half-blinded. Drawn to the Catholic faith by the Bible stories and teachings of the French Jesuits, Kateri amazed them by her perfection of the virtues, her mystical prayer life, and her total love for Christ. Her last words were: "Jesus, I love you." Kateri Tekakwitha's life of faith is an inspiration to everyone!